AcousticSamples B5 / sample-synthesized Hammond

[Piet De Ridder]

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For me personally, an instant buy: the new AcousticSamples B5Hammond-emulation. Different from just about anything else currently available (including the very good GS VB-3) in that the AS B5 uses sample based synthesis: they sampled each of the 91 tones and then measured and meticulously reproduced everything, the key contacts, the resistance wires, the foldback, the drawbars, the swell pedal, the percussion, and every button available on the original machine. (Detailed info about this on the product page.)

Other features:
Rotary Speaker Simulation: An organ without its rotary speaker isn't an organ. AcousticSamples provided UVI with very detailed measurements and they created an incredible physical model.
Advanced percussion system: AS recreated the whole percussion system and you can customize every aspect of it.
Real key contact modeling: 9 contacts are made one after another under each key and each of them produce a small click, making this the only influence of the velocity and resulting in a different click sound each time you press your key.
All three keyboards: On a real organ, there are 3 keyboards, two of which are almost identical except for the percussion system, and the bass pedals. You can choose to use 3 different MIDI channels, one for each keyboard or you can use the split to have all three one one keyboard.
Presets: There are around 200 drawbar presets that you can load, save, delete or assign to the preset keys (upper and lower), and these include the most used Jazz, Gospel and classical presets.
Organ modifications: Every organ player likes to tweak his instrument, so every modification that organists can do is available.
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The B-5 Organ is using the latest features of the UVI engine, and UVI Workstation 2.6.5 is required to use it.
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[Ashermusic]

Piet do you think this is a significant upgrade from the Logic Vintage Organ? (EVB3)

My friend, C.J., Vanston plays it in Mainstage live with Spinal Tap and when they were opening for Yes, and he told me that Rick Wakeman was dumbfounded when he realized where the B3 sound was coming from.

[Piet De Ridder]

(...) a significant upgrade from the Logic Vintage Organ? (...)

Significant? Seriously, 'significant' doesn't even begin to cover the quality difference between the EVB3 and this new B5. Night and day. (And I'm saying this as a long-time EVB3 enthusiast.)
The EVB3 is a fine enough instrument, sure, and for many things perfectly sufficient, but the B5 is simply on a totally different level: not only is its sound infinitely more detailed, vibrant and alive and, well, 'realistic', but it also has all the character of an Hammond captured, down to a B. (And 'character' is precisely the thing which I always found sorely lacking in both the EVB3 and the EVP88.)
Which reminds me, you're a fan of the NeoSoul Rhodes, right? Well, that might help describing some of the difference between the EVB3 and the B5: it's even bigger than that between the EVP88 and the NeoSoul.

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[Ashermusic]

Wow then I will have to check it out for sure!

[Lawrence]

The organ sound itself is very good, but personally I'm not feeling the Leslie in the provided examples. The effect doesn't seem full enough or something.

Lots of love for AcousticSamples though. I have their Vibesysm, their Uku and their Old Black Grand, love them all.

[Ashermusic]

Oh, wow Piet, you were not kidding, this sounds terrific. I will be reviewing it next month for macProVideo.ocm

[Piet De Ridder]

Still very pleased with this, except that ... try as I may, I can't get a decent Jimmy Smith sound out of the B5. It's a sound — at least, an approximation of it — that comes very easy to the VB3, but the B5 just can't seem to produce it. No matter how I tweak its settings and parameters, it always sounds a bit weak, cautious and hollow, I find, whereas the VB3, quite effortlessly, sends these jolts of concentrated, creamy and bluesy energy through my speakers.
Here's a comparison. Six short snippets first played with the B5, followed by the VB3. Near-identical drawbar settings, but a pretty big difference, no?

I might be wrong, but to my ears, the B5's three leftmost drawbars lack some body and weight.
Other than that, it is quite sensational though.

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[Udo]

How does it compare with the UVI HAMMER B (created with vintage 1950s B3 and Leslie). Heard some demos that sounded promising, but never looked at it seriously, as I have still access to a real one (but that may change soon).

[Raymond_Kemp]

Hard to explain Piet, if the drawbars are the same then something else is at work. I've got to say, in these examples I absolutely dig the second version every time. The first is just more in your face, the second more ambient. And yes, I have both but not the playing ability to create such examples. I will now try to compare here.

EDIT: I think its definitely on that 16' on the upper register. The B-5 is lacking there.

[Piet De Ridder]

I looked at both with Equilibrium's built-in (basic) spectrum analyzer and the B5 often does seem to have quite a dip somewhere between 100Hz and 300Hz (depending on the note of course). But it's not just that. There's also something else, something which I really can't describe about this VB3 "Jimmy Smith" sound — 'raw yet smooth', 'creamy' and 'bluesy' are the words that come to mind, although that doesn't mean anything of course — which I just don't hear in B5. Well, not in its attempts at emulating the Smith-sound anyway.

But again, for most other things, it is unbelievably good.

Udo, I never tried the UVI HammerB nor gave it much attention. I'll have a look and listen though. My experience with virtual Hammonds is limited to this B5, the VB3, Logic's EVB3 and a rather splendid sampled one from PremierSound (although 'doing Jimmy Smith' is not this one's forte either). Oh, and the original NI's B4 as well.
And a looong time ago, I used to play the hardware EMU-module B-3. (Still have it somewhere.)

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[Udo]

People, I'm embarrassed to admit that the samples I listened to (which I referred to as "sounding promising") were in fact from Acousticsamples (developed for the UVI environment) and not UVI's Hammer B.

[Raymond_Kemp]

People, I'm embarrassed to admit that the samples I listened to (which I referred to as "sounding promising") were in fact from Acousticsamples (developed for the UVI environment) and not UVI's Hammer B.

Exactly...................and that is why there have been quick updates for the FX, amps etc for the B-5

[Udo]

People, I'm embarrassed to admit that the samples I listened to (which I referred to as "sounding promising") were in fact from Acousticsamples (developed for the UVI environment) and not UVI's Hammer B.

Exactly...................and that is why there have been quick updates for the FX, amps etc for the B-5

Raymond, I don't understand your comment. I listened to the samples quit some time ago. Didn't pay much attention to the source at the time, but remembered UVI was mentioned and later assumed it was the UVI product Hammer B, without checking, which turned out to be incorrect.

[The Saxer]

New Version: https://www.acousticsamples.net/B5

(From KVR)
Acousticsamples has announced the release of Version 2 of the B-5 Organ. They say it's not a simple update, it's an entirely new product. They reworked both the sound generation and the Leslie simulation, here are a few of the new features.
A new Leslie emulation
Acousticsamples have been working with UVI again and provided them with a lot of measurements on their Leslie 122. UVI came up with a new Leslie Emulation, and Acousticsamples adjusted it even further to fit the sound of the different Leslie models they recorded. You now get the sound of the Leslie 122, 147 or 3300 and all of them with a variety of microphone placements and many controls over them.
A refined Organ model
Everything has been revised, the click sound, the measurement of the real voicing, the percussion curves and Acousticsamples simulated a few real electrical behaviors like the voltage stealing and the loudness robbing that play a very important part in the sound of the organs. And as every B-3, C-3 or A-100 is unique, Acousticsamples now offer 4 different organ base tones, each with their own voicing and signature sound.
A completely reworked Tube Saturation
The tube saturation now follows the exact behavior of the real Leslie 122 tube saturation. There is basically one main control that is similar to the volume knob you can find on a 122 and you can play with the volume pedal to get more or less saturation while playing.
A complete MIDI integration
Acousticsamples pre-mapped some of the most used Organ controllers like the XK series, the Clavia controllers (Nord stage, C series, electro and C2D), the Mojo, the B4D, the HX3 and a few others. If your controller is not in that list, just use the new MIDI learn function to assign any element to the controller of your choice.
A much better Pedalboard simulation
Acousticsamples have modeled 4 different pedalboards for which each drawbar controls a certain frequency combination. The voicings really vary a lot from one model to another.
A new preset system
Acousticsamples decided to add the two main presets for A# and B that control two virtual sets of drawbars. They also added a new general preset system with a few built-in presets to help you explore different sounds.